Senyaichiya
by yuurei510
Summary: Enishi, a man living with his hate; Kenshin, a man living with his guilt...they have more in common than they think. Enishi x Kaoru fic.
1. Verse One

Senyaichiya 

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin and all related characters are property of Nobuhiro Watsuki. The song this fic is based on, _Senyaichiya_ ("One Thousand and One Nights") is from the .hack//liminality series, and is copyrighted by Bandai Entertainment. No copyright infringement intended.

Warnings: Beware! A romantic fic! Ohohohoho! XD Why did I write it? 

Um...uh... ::huddled in corner and pondering::

I guess...because I had nothing else to do. ^^ Er...

This fic is PG-13 in rating, because nothing too bad happens here...what were you expecting, hentai?!

Pairings: Oho! This fic's pairing is none other than: Enishi Yukishiro x Kaoru Kamiya! ::shock!:: Were you expecting that? I bet not! I bet you were expecting...Kenshi x Kaoru, perhaps? Kenshin x Megumi? No? If you were expecting Kenshin x Sanosuke...go somewhere else for your yaoi. :-|

Author's Notes: Err...written right after I watched the Samurai X Reflections series. Hrrm...I began to think about the possibilities of an Enishi x Kaoru relationship. Yes I know, Enishi only captured Kaoru so he could kill Kenshin...and yes, Kaoru loves and always did love Kenshin...but I have a strange mind. Really strange. So there. 

Takes place at the end of Samurai X Reflections: Episode One. I'll try to make this as un-confusing as possible.  

**Verse One**

_Kono basho wo dete aruku michi no koto wo kangaeru_

_Sora wa mada hayai yuugata kumo ni iro wo nokoshite_

_Tonari no kodomo wa onaji uta mou san do mo utatteru_

_Owaru kotoba  omoi dasezu  saigo dake zutto kurikaeshite_

            Kaoru walked beneath the shade of the dying sakura trees. Her mind was blank, numb with shock at what Kenshin had just told her. She wanted to keep it that way. She did not want to have to think about what Kenshin's words might have meant. 

            Those words, full of grief, heavy with sadness and despair and longing for what may have been; a tone Kenshin had never needed to use when with Kaoru, until now. 

            He had not eaten for a long time, but merely brooded outside in the yard, looking out at the sky, not telling her anything. Kaoru had taken it upon herself to bring him some kept-behind dinner. She swore not to ask him what had happened before he came back home to the dojo – it would probably upset him even more. Best to act as though nothing had happened. 

            She had just set the tray down when Kenshin's eye caught sight of the teacup on the edge. It was a delicate thing, lightly colored, with a spray of plum blossoms painted across it. Seijuro Hiko had made it for her, "to serve good tea in". And serve good tea she did. 

            But Kenshin did not care about the tea. He picked up the teacup tentatively, almost cautiously, as though afraid of it. He said, "There is a story behind this." 

            Kaoru had opened her mouth to protest – hadn't she said, such a long and yet short time ago, that she did not care about Kenshin's past? But there was a look in Kenshin's already sad eyes – something that went beyond sadness, beyond mortal grief – and she kept her silence, and listened to the ghastly tale, the story behind the cross-shaped scar.  

            She did not want to think about what he had said. She didn't want to submit to the rage, the horror, the jealousy, the sadness – all of the emotions welling up inside her. She began to run – the better to escape from the thoughts that were already trying to invade her mind. 

            _"I murdered my wife...Tomoe Himura...with my own two hands..."_

            It was no use. No longer trying to fight the tears, no longer trying to escape her thoughts, she fell to her knees upon the grass, choking on her sobs. 

            "I thought...that he would come back to me – that he is _mine_ – it is so far from where we are..."

            She looked up at the garden before her, at the grass and the fireflies. Through her tears she could still see Kenshin in her mind's eye, sitting with his head bowed; for once, a man defeated. 

            _Crunch. Crunch. _

            The muted sound of footsteps, walking through the fallen leaves and the grass behind her...who was it? Perhaps Kenshin had come to take her back home...?

            She made no attempt to wipe the tears from her face. She turned to meet this late-night visitor – and froze. 

            Standing directly in front of her, framed by the eerie red-orange glow of the setting sun, was a tall man, wearing spectacles and carrying a long bundle on his back; entirely unremarkable in this era…but though young, his hair had turned completely white – the demon's color. And in his turquoise eyes, there was something Kaoru had seen only a few times in her life, but never to this extent: pure hatred.

            She gasped and fell back, stumbling upon her kimono, as the white-haired young man advanced toward her. Frightened, she began to run – 

            Kaoru had not gotten more than three paces before a hand shot out and clamped a damp cloth tightly over her mouth, muffling her shriek of surprise. She smelled something sickly-sweet on the cloth, like one of Megumi-san's medicines...

            _Kenshin…!_

            That was her last thought before something grasped her by the wrists and forced her hands behind her; the world suddenly turned black and all was lost. 

_I walk away from here, pondering which way to go. _

_The sun is setting early, painting the clouds with its glow as it disappears. _

_The children next to me are singing the same song for the third time._

_Unable to remember the words to end it, they repeat the last verse over and over..._


	2. Verse Two

**Verse Two**

_Hajime mo owari mo iranakatta kimi no me ga tsubuyaita_

_Donna kioku wo sagashitara mune no fukami he todoku no darou_

_Nagasugita, kimi no iu hibi wa hitoyo no yume no you de_

_Owaru kotoba shinjirarenai mezame no toki wa mada tooi_

            Sunlight...

            There was light underneath Kaoru's eyelids. She groaned; she felt sluggish, sleepy. For some strange reason, this thing she was sleeping in did not feel like her futon – nor did it feel like anything she had ever slept in before. It was softer, thicker; she could not feel the floor on her back. And this thing that was covering her body – it did not feel like anything she had ever worn to bed. 

            Slowly, she opened her eyes.

            A painted-purple ceiling and what looked like a lamp loomed into view. With a start, Kaoru sat up, the memories of what had happened last night flooding back. 

            She had run away from the dojo, run into that secluded garden where the fireflies lived - she had been crying – she had heard footsteps behind her and had turned to see a white-haired man with hate in his eyes towering above her. Then she had tried to run once more, but the man had caught her, pressed a cloth with a sickly smell on it to her mouth and nose – and then she had lost consciousness.

            Surprise washed over her as she looked down at herself, examining her limbs and taking in the room she was in. She was wearing a bathrobe of sorts, and was sitting on a large bed like nothing she had ever slept on before – but there were no injuries. _I'm alive,_ she thought in wonder. _But why?_

            She staggered to the window and pushed it open, gazing at the incredible sight that greeted her. It looked to her like she was on the second floor of a house – a large beautiful house with green banisters and a large balcony with shining white tiles underfoot.  

            Her head was beginning to hurt with such an overflow of memories and thoughts – and whatever her attacker had used on her last night had not completely worn off either. Stumbling and swaying slightly, Kaoru made her way across the balcony and over to the green banister, taking in yet another surprise. The house was situated on what looked like the isolated shore of a beach, a beautiful sandy cove with green-blue waters that was blocked almost completely by cliffs, save for one small entrance that was too small for most ships to fit through. _Where am I?_ she thought, completely at a loss. 

            "You can't escape, you know." 

            She jumped and turned around quickly. Sitting there, at a table on the other side of the balcony, and taking sips from a crystal glass of some dark-red liquid, was the man who had attacked her last night – attacked her and brought her here. He was looking at her with strange interest, an almost appraising look on his face. As they stared at each other the man spoke again. 

            "This place is a natural fortress that no one can access or get out of, so don't even think about it, Kaoru." 

            Kaoru turned to fully face him, anger and frustration suddenly welling up inside her. "Why do you do this?" she demanded. "Answer me! Why don't you just kill me now?" 

            The white-haired man was silent for a moment, his eyes leaving hers and instead looking out towards the sea. "I may just do that," he replied finally. "But I'm not sure your life has much value to _him._ He killed my sister. He murdered my sister Tomoe with his own hands."

            With a jolt of shock and sudden fear, Kaoru realized who this man might be – Enishi Yukishiro, Tomoe's younger brother, who had seen his sister murdered before his eyes. And that meant he could only be talking about one person...

            "For all I know you could mean nothing to him as well," Enishi continued, still not meeting her eyes. "But I expect we'll both know shortly. And until we know, I'll let you live." He took a sip of the dark-red liquid at the bottom of his glass, then added, "You're probably the one he holds most sacred in his life right now – if he is capable of holding anything as such."

            Enishi suddenly turned back to face her, and Kaoru stepped back in surprise. His eyes were narrowed now, burning with passionate hate. There was an insane glee in his eyes, a look that told Kaoru he knew exactly what he was doing and why. 

            "So I've brought you here to see just what sort of man he is. If you _are_ sacred to him, he will come to find you. And then I will kill you in front of him, so he will know how I feel. He will know of the living hell I face day after day." 

            He stood up suddenly, striding towards the house; Kaoru stepped back so far that her back hit the banisters.

            "If he doesn't come to rescue you I don't care what becomes of you. I'll let you go home alive. Just wait it out. You may get your freedom." 

            He disappeared into the house, shutting the door behind him with a sharp snap. Kaoru let out a long breath, feeling calmer now without the presence of her cold-eyed captor. She remained outside for a long time, her mind feeling as though it were sagging under her thoughts; then she retreated to the bedroom and sat on the edge of her bed, trying to find ways out of this situation. 

            She could think only of Kenshin. _I know he cares,_ she thought desperately, _but can I be sure he will come for me? Could he care for me as he did Tomoe?_

            She sat there on her bed, staring out of her window until after the moon rose, thinking of what Kenshin had told her only a day before. 

            Tomoe...the heart of Kenshin's cross-shaped scar, and the heart of Enishi's hate. She had died for Kenshin, had died a terrible death that she didn't deserve...and yet...and yet...

            Kaoru fell onto the pillows. _I envy her,_ she thought, and it was not a jealous or hateful thought, but more detached – as though her mind did not belong to her anymore. Tomoe's death had formed a bond between her and Kenshin that Kaoru knew she could never fill – a bond marked by the scar she had made on Kenshin's cheek. 

            _Could I die for you, Kenshin? If I gave myself up for you – would you remember me the way you have always remembered Tomoe? Or will I become as faceless as the many people you killed under the name Hitokiri Battousai? _

            Detached, thinking only of Kenshin, Kaoru fell into a restless sleep as the moon loomed over her window and the waves lapped gently at the sand outside. 

_Your eyes whispered, "We don't need beginnings or endings."_

_What kind of memories do I have to search for that will reach deep into my heart?_

_The days that you said were too long seemed like a dream that lasted just one night. _

_I can't believe that it is coming to an end, it is too early to wake up._

**************************

_Sen no yoru wo kesenai de mada koko wo tatenai_

            Kaoru awoke early the next morning, despite having gone to sleep so late the night before. She had awoken feeling no better and no worse about the situation, but rather with a sort of determined calm; sooner or later, Enishi or Kenshin would take action, and then she would know of her fate. It was no use fretting and sweating over whether she would live or die; what would happen would happen, and she would have to face it head-on, like her father had always wanted her to. 

            She had just tied her hair back, high up on the back of her head, when she heard a noise from outside. She turned and went down the stairs, emerging onto the lower porch of the house, and stopped short. 

            Enishi Yukishiro was standing in front of a tree near the house, his back turned to her. He had his sword clenched in his hand. As Kaoru watched, he placed a foot on the tree and stabbed the sword into the tree-trunk, jerking the sword almost effortlessly upwards; the trunk cracked and splintered easily, falling to the ground. 

            Kaoru felt her insides grow cold – if that was what he was capable of doing to Kenshin – 

            At that moment Enishi turned. His blue eyes narrowed for a moment; his features tightened into a sneer. Kaoru knew that he was enjoying the look on her face. 

            "Yes," he said, his teeth bared in an insane grin, "I swore long ago that he who killed would be punished. I know his Hiten Mitsurugi technique and its secrets very well. I don't need any help from you. Kenshin will pay for his crimes. I will exact this revenge with my own hands, the way he killed my sister." 

            He strode into the house again, his sword braced on one shoulder, leaving Kaoru standing on the porch and staring at the remains of the tree he had just uprooted. 

            Back in her room, Kaoru felt panic wash over her again. She could not stop imagining it: Kenshin, his head bowed, his whole self defeated – Enishi, the vengeful man with the cold blue-green eyes and the hair white as snow, capable of a change at winning against Kenshin – Enishi, with his long sword, slicing through Kenshin – Enishi, stabbing Kenshin through the heart – Enishi, cutting off Kenshin's head – causing Kenshin's blood to spill as Tomoe's had – Enishi, Enishi Yukishiro – 

            So much guilt on one side and hate on the other, Kaoru thought frantically, feeling her whole body shaking. Kenshin cannot possibly match Enishi's strength – can't possibly match the power of one who is so determined to punish him for past crimes...

            She made up her mind in a couple of hours' time. Quickly, silently, she snuck toward Enishi's room, a broom handle held tightly in her hands. She paused outside the door of his room, listening intently. 

            She did not have to wait long. Enishi emerged almost immediately, dressed once again in his bathrobe, rubbing at his hair with a towel. She stood by the door and watched him as he sat down in the chair by his window, waiting for the opportunity – any opportunity – to rush in and attack him, put an end to it – 

            "Sister..."

            Kaoru froze. Enishi was sitting with his head bowed, his shoulders slumped. His voice was soft, sad – taking on the same tone Kenshin's did at the worst of times.

            "Sister...sister...why did you have to leave me? Why did you have to die like that? It makes no sense...I want to understand it...but I can't..."

            He was quite defenseless, lost in thoughts about his sister. It would have been the perfect time to attack...

            ...but Kaoru had quite forgotten about attacking him. She stood outside his door, the broom-handle still in her hands, but not intended as a weapon any more. She was thinking about what she had just heard – what she had just seen -  

            _He is also a man living with his sadness. I am sure he has lived alone with only his hatred for company._

Dejected, she made her way back to her room, discarding the broom handle in the corner before collapsing onto her bed.

_Don't make the thousand nights disappear. I can't leave here just yet._


End file.
